The number of Filipinos without jobs or livelihoods surged to 2.54 million in October 2025, pushing the country’s unemployment rate to 5%, according to the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) latest Labor Force Survey on Wednesday.
The figure represents a sharp spike in joblessness compared to the previous month, where 1.96 million individuals were unemployed, resulting in a rate of 3.8% in September 2025.
A report from GMA News said that PSA Chief and National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa, speaking at a press briefing, reported that the count of unemployed persons aged 15 and above in October 2025 was also significantly higher than the 1.97 million jobless individuals recorded in the same month in 2024.
The 5% unemployment rate means that 50 out of every 1,000 individuals actively seeking work in the labor force did not have a job during the period.
Meanwhile, the rate of underemployment–workers who are employed but seeking additional work or longer hours–climbed from 11.1 percent in September to 12 percent in October. This indicates that 5.81 million workers were underemployed during the month, compared with the 5.52 million recorded in September.
The hardship and challenges imposed by joblessness extends far beyond mere economic strain, impacting Filipinos’ mental health and family stability.
The most immediate and pervasive hardship is the financial insecurity that unemployment brings. For Filipino families, who often rely on a single breadwinner, the lack of income severely restricts the ability to afford basic necessities like food, housing, and utilities.
In addition, the high underemployment rate reveals that many Filipinos are technically employed but work in poor security, limited hours, and low-paying jobs where wages are insufficient to meet their basic needs.
This situation showcased the economic paradox where the official unemployment rate remains low, even as a large percentage of the population reports experiencing poverty.
Ultimately, the rise in unemployment and underemployment rates signal an urgent need for government and private sector initiatives focused not only on creating new jobs but also on ensuring the quality and stability of employment.
